The invention relates to improvements in flexible hoses.
Published German patent application No. 37 27 858 of Gahwiler discloses a quick-release connector with a male component which has a rear which can carry one or more external sealing rings and an annular protuberance between the front and rear portion. The protuberance has a conical front flank which slopes toward the axis of the male component in a direction toward the front portion, and a radial rear flank or shoulder which confronts the rear portion of the male component. The front portion of the male component and the sealing ring or rings thereon can be inserted into the elastically deformable front part of a female component the rear part of which is insertable into the end portion of a second flexible hose. The front part of the female component has a ring with an inner protuberance and two axially parallel deformable arms which extend from the ring toward the rear part. The internal surface of the ring is provided with two male detents in the form of teeth which can engage the radial shoulder of the protuberance subsequent to introduction of the protuberance into the front part of the female component. In order to separate the teeth from the protuberance, the ring of the front part of the female component must be deformed to assume an oval shape, or the operator employs a tuning fork like implement to move the teeth apart preparatory to extraction of the protuberance from the female component. A drawback of the just described connector is that the implement is likely to be displaced or lost so that the person in charge is unable to detach the male component from the female component. Moreover, an operator is not likely to immediately locate those portions of the ring which must be pressed toward each other in order to impart to the ring an oval shape with attendant disengagement of the teeth from the radial shoulder of the protuberance on the male component. In addition, and in order to avoid accidental separation of the male and female components, it is necessary to design the female component in such a way that the person in charge of disengaging the two components must apply a pronounced force to adequately deform the ring, i.e., to deform the ring to an extent which is necessary to permit extraction of the protuberance from the front part of the female component. Additional problems arise if the person in charge of separating the male and female components happens to change the orientation of one of the components, namely if the male component is not centered in the female component. The absence of accurate centering during intended separation of the male and female components is likely to result in mere partial disengagement of one of the teeth from the protuberance so that the person in charge is unable to extract the male component from the female component. Still further, an inexperienced person is likely to subject the ring to excessive deforming stresses, particularly while the male component is being extracted from the female component, so that the ring is apt to undergo permanent deformation or to break. The arms are equally likely to undergo permanent deformation or to be destroyed in response to excessive deformation of the ring.
German Utility Model No. 88 15 247.2 of Ems-Inventa AG discloses a modified quick-release connector which is similar to the connector of Gahwiler except that the female component defines an annular pocket for the front portion of the male component. The sealing element or elements are installed between the internal surface of the front portion of the male component and the adjacent external surface of a tubular inner portion of the female component.